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• 1 2019-04-30T20:07:59-07:00 Early Cultural Impact 23 plain 2019-05-13T06:12:53-07:00 In the decades following discovery, the idea of the dodo spread to Northern Europe from information born out of initial observations and drawings. From these, the belief that the species was a grotesque oddity began to take shape. The Musaeum Tradescantianum, the founding collection of the Ashmolean Museum, was a conglomerate of various natural specimens, from rocks and minerals to once living rarities (Tradescant 1656). John Tradescant the Elder, a British naturalist and gardener of the 17th century, began the collection through his travels across Europe and other parts of the world under the employment of wealthy English landowners and lords. All would come to view his collection (Britannica 2019). Dodo remains were registered in the collections publication as early as 1656 (Tradescant 1656). Although only briefly mentioned, its presence was indicative of how it was seen: an irregularity of the natural world that was worthy of awe and curiosity.
  
  Like in the Musaeum Tradescantianum, paintings were being produced depicting the dodo alongside other species in pristine natural settings. Roelandt Savery, a prominent Dutch artist of the 16th and 17th C., rendered numerous pieces with dodos (Wheelock 2014). In his 1628 piece Landscape with birds (upper left), Savery shows a plumb awkward dodo alongside delicate exotic species like macaws and cranes, attempting to highlight how out of place it is in the world of other birds (Savery 1628). His piece from the late 1620s, George Edward's DoDo, provides a close up image where the bird is very drab, distended, and rather homely. This is contrasted by the bright, swift macaws circling the bird (middle right) (Savery late 1620s). However, the large dodo dominated the painting, taking up all of the space and situated at its center. A sketch by Savery depicts a pair of dodos posing around some stones with dopey looks on their face (lower left). Savery paints the dodos in different positions and varying settings, creating a comprehensive image of the whole body through multiple action positions. His goal was likely to emphasize its novel figure against other, more renowned, wild bird species.
  
  The popularity of these early renderings in addition to the bird being featured in public venues like the Tradescant Collection, spread the idea of the  dodo as a dumb and awkward bird, and thus established its first prominent descriptions. 
• 1 2019-03-26T00:46:10-07:00 Modern Developments 16 plain 2019-05-12T00:55:36-07:00 The dodo bird is believed to have become extinct in the mid to late 17th C. which makes it impossible to conduct modern research based on direct observations of live specimens. However, advances in technology, a better understanding of the interconnected nature of the environment, and the preservation of valuable soft tissue has made it possible to uncover more accurate information on this misunderstood species.
  
  The Oxford Dodo, likely the dodo that Sir Hamon L'Estrange observed as a living specimen in London in the 17th C.provides the last remaining soft dodo tissue available in the world. This specimen somehow made its way from Mauritius to Europe and was eventually acquired by English naturalist and professional gardener John Tradescant the Elder and was held in his museum, the Musaeum Tradescantianum (Tradescant 1656). The specimen was later given to Elias Ashmole who brought it to the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. This soft tissue has been important in furthering dodo research using modern technology.
  
  Moreover, research has been done on the island of Mauritius, as the dodo's home and natural habitat. These studies reveal the environment the dodo would have likely experienced when extant. It has been discovered that dodo birds, through analysis of the tissue samples, ate a primarily herbaceous diet, supplemented by fruit, seeds, nuts, and eggs. This can be determined based on the amount of Carbon 13 and Nitrogen 15 in the dodo remains. Reviewing the environment of Mauritius has allowed researchers to determine that the high-feeding period for the dodo would have been in early to late spring time, when plants are flowering and the tortoise eggs were laid (Parish 2013). Understanding the source of its food has allowed us to better comprehend its morphology as well. For instance, its stocky stance would enable it to remain upright when digging up tortoise eggs and its lumpy appearance may have been reflective of its extended gastrointestinal tract, allowing it to digest the thick outer layers of fruits and nuts that it would forage for (Parish 2013). In this way, its form, which was much derided by earlier observers, was well suited for its environment.
  
  The dodo had been believed to be extant in a persistently grotesque state. However, this may not have been the case. The Mauritian climate offered these birds a season of high-feeding, and a counter season with little to offer. It was likely that during this low season the birds would be much leaner and slimmer than depicted in nearly all renderings of it. European sailors to the Indian Ocean generally visited Mauritius based on the seasonal wind cycles, so they may not have been able to observe it continuously, as its physical form changed throughout each year.
  Genetic analysis on the dodo has revealed that it is not closely related to the other modern flightless birds that it was compared with like the ostrich and the turkey. Rather, the dodo's closest relative is the Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), a small ground dwelling bird from the island of Rodrigues east of Mauritius, that is also extinct. The closest living relative has been determined to be the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the coast of India (Oxford Dodo n.d.).
  
  The scientific name for the dodo has been changed once more to Raphus cucullatus. This current name was first coined in 1760 but was not accepted by the world scientific community until after the time of Carolus Linnaeus. Raphus refers to extinct birds from the the Indian Ocean islands, and cucullatus refers to its hardened front of the head resembling a hood-like structure (University of Utrecht).